Random acts of kindness

I simply cannot believe that December is upon us. I can vividly remember thinking about this Christmas in, oh, January or so, and wondering what it would hold for me this year. I'll save that for another blog post, though. 

Today, I have Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) on my mind. My dear friends Andrea and Kelly got engaged recently, and it was Kelly's RAK's two December's ago that brought him and Andrea back together. Kelly decided he wanted to do something nice each day for the month of December. This ranged from paying for a stranger's gas to dropping off a tricycle at a homeless shelter. Andrea helped him come up with ideas via Facebook, and the rest is history! But, this year especially, I am all over this Kindness idea. 

Tomorrow, my Finding Yourself In School club is going to a local business to paint a Winter Wonderland display for them. While not entirely random, I'm so proud of my students for wanting to make a positive difference in the community. It means so much to me to see teenagers wanting to do good for others just for the sake of doing good. 

Today, I was struck by a note in the Celebrations section of the South Bend Tribune. It was announcing the 85th birthday of a man and had a note that stated, "Please call me. I miss all my friends. Or please come visit me at..." I teared up thinking about this man in Lakeville... a man who seems lonely that he would give his address and phone number... a man who just wants his friends to spend some time with him. I kept thinking about my grandfather in his assisted living home, and my mother who goes to see him every single day, and all the other people there who don't have someone to come visit them. And it struck a chord with me. So, before my lunch started, I wrote the man a card. I wished him a happy birthday and told him that the students and staff of our high school were wishing him many more happy years. Maybe it's silly. Maybe it's silly that he'll get this card and think, "Why would someone I don't know send me anything? Idiots. I only wanted to hear from people I know!" But maybe it'll make his day, and that thought makes me really happy. 

I want to keep doing other RAKs throughout December, and have found a few really great web sites like this one. They're so simple and many of them are free and take very little time. If you can, try to do one this month too. Because there's no such thing as putting too much kindness out in to the world.